


Operation: Smiles!

by Akihaa



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, HBD Misaki I Love You, birthday fic!!!, hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I did writing this, i wish misaki's sister had a name but, lots of shenanigans in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-23 05:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16152689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akihaa/pseuds/Akihaa
Summary: Misaki's pretty sure that everyone's forgot her birthday.But something seems a little odd, and Misaki can't really seem to put her finger on exactly why.





	1. Operation: Smiles!

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Misaki's bday! I wanted to write something with a lot of shenanigans and just fun little scenes here and there together with Misaki, so here it is! I love Misaki <3

A dark room.

A single white light.

A sturdy wooden table.

Four Hello Happy members.

“So. You all may be wondering why I’ve called everyone here.” The leader muses. Her hands are intertwined together under her nose, eyes glancing back and forth at her other three accomplices.

“No doubt, it must be because of _that_ , is it not?” The guitarist, who was leaning against the wall with her chair, chuckles as she twirls a lock of hair around her finger.

“Of course it’s because of _that_! There’s no way we can miss such a thing!” The bassist declares as she stands up, slamming the table with the palms of her hand.

“Um...why are we in the dark with just a lamp? Can’t we just discuss this normally?” The drummer meekly asks. The leader turns and points at her.

“No, Kanon-san! This is top-top-top-top!!!! Secret affairs! We can’t have any of this classified information leaking out!” Kokoro countered.

“A-Alright, Kokoro-chan…but, what are we even discussing about... _that_?”

“Fufufu...well, you see, Kanon-san…” Kokoro gestures for everyone to huddle closer together and begins discussing the classified information.

“Kokoro-chan, you’re a genius!!” Hagumi shouts when the pile breaks.

“Might I suggest another thing?” Kaoru gathers everyone back in, proposing her grand idea under hushed tones.

“Y-You want me to what? Fueee…”

“Worry not, dear Kanon. I’m sure that... _she_...will find this idea most delightful.” Kaoru puts a hand on Kanon’s shoulder in assurance.

“I think it’s a great idea too!” Kokoro concurs. She turns to face the three ladies who always seem to be around her. “Miss Suit Ladies! You’ll help us out, right?”

“Of course, Miss Tsurumaki.” The middle of the three bows. “Shall we set the plan in motion?”

“Perfect.” Kokoro turns back and makes a fist with her hand. “Everyone, commence Operation: Smiles!!!” She shoots up the fist into the air, followed by everyone else, including the ladies in the suits.

**“Yeah!!!”**

 

* * *

 

  
“So, they asked me to attend a practice rehearsal on that day of all days.” Misaki groaned, face down into the cafe table. “They even asked me to bring my little sister with me! To band practice!” She scratched roughly at her head, ruffling her hair into being a little messy.

“I-it’s alright, Misaki-chan. I’m sure there’s a, um...reason for it.” Rimi comforted her, reaching across the table to pat at Misaki’s head and taming the hair that had been fraying out. The DJ bear sighed before sitting back up, rubbing at the pinkish mark on her forehead from the table.

“Well, the weird thing is that Kokoro wanted me to go to her house instead of CirCLe this time.” Misaki thought aloud.

“O-oh, is that so?” Rimi’s eyes fidgeted around, trying to avoid eye contact with Misaki.

“Y-yeah…Um, are you alright, Rimi?” Misaki asked, noticing immediately.

“Of course! I’m a-ok! I just, uh...was thinking about O-tae’s bunnies!” Rimi quickly made up, internally slapping herself for coming up with such a bizarre excuse.  
  
“Oh, really? She has a lot of them, doesn’t she?” Misaki laughed as she stirred her coffee.

“She does! It’s hard to believe that she knows how to keep track of all of them.”

“I’ll say. It’s hard enough for me to keep up with the three stooges in Hello Happy, I can hardly imagine keeping up with 20 rabbits.” Misaki’s head started to spin at the mere thought.

“Right? But I sort of admire her for it, you know?” Rimi giggled. “Oh, the time! It’s getting a little late. I wanted to drop by Saaya’s bakery to pick up some bread before I went home.”

“Haha, Rimi, I think you love chocolate cornets as much as Hanazono-san loves rabbits.” Misaki pointed out. “But you’re right. It’s getting late, and I wanted to pick up some bread for my little sister too. Should we get going?”

Rimi nodded and the two stood to leave for the door. Hearing the tinkle of the door bell, Tsugumi, who had been cleaning behind the counter, called out to them.

“Thanks for coming, you two!” She waved.

“Thank you!” The two called back. Tsugumi and Rimi held eye contact for a bit after Misaki had turned away. She gave a thumbs up to Rimi with furrowed brows, asking a silent question. Rimi gave a silent thumbs up in response, and Tsugumi sighed in relief before they gave a final wave to each other.

 

* * *

 

 

“Welcome!” Saaya shouted on instinct upon hearing the door, before seeing just who had came in. “Ah, if it isn’t my favorite customer! And Misaki-chan too! I knew you were gonna come soon, so I saved a few for you.” She winked at the bassist and brought out a tray of a few chocolate cornets. Rimi smiled immediately, almost darting to Saaya and the cornets.

“You’re such a life saver, Saaya-chan! I was worried that you might have sold out by this time.”

“No need to worry! Ah, Misaki-chan, take your time looking around alright?”

Misaki gave her thanks with a little bow before browsing what sorts of bread the bakery had left. The smell of fresh bread and how the bread glistened under some of the red sunlight made her mouth water, even though she had already eaten. As she was looking for her sister’s favorite kind while Saaya and Rimi were talking, she heard the door ring from behind her and two familiar voices.

“Made it just in time~ Hope you don’t mind, Saaya.” A lazy voice said.

“There you guys are! I was wondering if you were going to drop by at all since you usually come earlier.”

“Moca and I...had a little troublesome customer earlier, so...we had to stay longer than...usual at work.” Lisa panted, hands on her knees for support. She quickly caught her breathe and wiped away some sweat on her brow. “Moca was freaking out so hard that you guys would close before we could get off, so she sprinted all the way here, and damn is she fast when she wants to be! I could barely even keep up!” She gawked.

“When bread is involved, Moca can achieve anything~!” The bread enthusiast boasted, before spotting Misaki looking through the bread selection. “Oh? If it isn’t Misaki~”

“Oh, you’re right! Heya, Misaki-chan!” Lisa waved, the two of them trotting over. Misaki meant to wave back, but Moca had unexpectedly draped an arm over her shoulder.

“So, Misaki, heard a special day was coming soon for you!” Moca grinned. Rimi, Saaya, and Lisa seemed to tense up when she said this, but it passed by Misaki unnoticed.

“Special day…?” Misaki repeated, trying to think. The bizarre situation of Moca having her arm around her shoulder threw her thought process off a bit before she realized what exactly she was referring to. “Ah, you mean that. I guess.” She shrugged.

“You guess?” Lisa gasped. “Birthdays are super important, you know! I always go out to celebrate them with my friends.”

“That’s right. Birthdays are always best celebrated with friends~” Moca agreed. Misaki couldn’t help but look away.

“Maybe so. But for me it’s...been a little...er, different.” Misaki didn’t want to admit that she’s never really been out with friends for her birthday before. It was a concept that didn’t really make sense to her. It sounded nice, but it was something Misaki couldn’t ever really bring herself to actually do.

“Hey, hey, don’t look so sad!” Moca whined, pulling at Misaki’s cheek to tease her. “Don’t worry, Misaki, my friend. After all, Koko- _mmf_!?”

“Now now, Moca, that’s enough, isn’t it! See, you’re making Misaki uncomfortable, hahaha!” Lisa, in a split second, had pulled Moca away from Misaki and pressed a hand over her mouth and nose.

“Um…?” Misaki raised an eyebrow at the struggling Moca and awkwardly laughing Lisa. Rimi and Saaya seemed to avoid her eyes when she looked over at them too. “Are you...guys alright? Everyone’s been acting a little strange lately.”

“We’re perfectly fine! It’s just your imagination.” Lisa reassured with a smile, still restraining Moca who’d already given up trying to break away. Misaki could swear Moca had tried to say something through Lisa’s hand, but it was too indistinct and muffled to be made out.

“Uhuh.” Misaki deadpanned. There was definitely something going on, but Misaki couldn’t really put her finger on what and why.

“A-Anyway, sorry to bother you! Moca’s always up in other people’s business you know, so sometimes- _eugh_!?” Lisa finally let go of Moca from her grasp suddenly. “Moca, why did you lick my hand!? That’s gross!”

“I couldn’t breathe.” Moca stated, matter-of-fact.

“You could have just told me.” Lisa replied, wiping her wet hand on Moca’s jacket.

“...Right.” Moca rolled her eyes and went on to buy her regular breads after giving a wink to the confused Misaki.

Misaki, deciding her head would be better off just letting it go, went back to picking up a few bread products and placed them on the counter.

“Ah, wise choices, Misaki. Saaya, you can put her things on my point cards too.” Moca said.

“Roger that!”

“Oh, that’s alright, I have money so-” Misaki tried to refuse.

“No no, say no more. I insist. Consider it my birthday present to you, alright~?”

“Oh, uh...alright. Thanks.” She gave in. _“I don’t interact with her much, but I have a feeling that this Moca will forever be a mystery to me.”_ Misaki thought to herself.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, I guess this is where we say goodbye~” Moca said.

“Misaki, Rimi, you two get home safe, okay?” Lisa waved.

“Lisa, you’re such a mom.” Moca teased, making Lisa’s cheeks flush a bit.

“Y-you don’t need to tell me that everytime! Anyway, see you soon!”

“Yeah, see you!” Rimi and Misaki responded as Moca and Lisa walked down the road opposite of them. As the two part-timers’ backs began to get smaller, Misaki grabbed onto Rimi’s arm.

“Hey, Rimi.” Misaki said, her voice low.

“Y-Yes!?” Rimi gasped.

“You’re sure there’s nothing going on, right? It feels like everyone’s trying to hide something from me.”

“I-I’m sure of it! Like Imai-san said, it’s probably just your imagination!” Rimi hurriedly tried to convince Misaki. Misaki looked into her eyes for a good while, which made Rimi’s heart beat a little faster than normal. Misaki was actually pretty handsome up close when she thought about it.

Misaki sighed, giving up for real this time and let go of Rimi’s arm. “Alright, I believe you. Let’s get going.” As Misaki walked forward, Rimi exhaled her held breathe.

 

* * *

 

 

“Alright, lil sis, are you ready?” Misaki asked, kneeling down to look at her sister at eye level.

“Yeah!! Let’s go! Big Sis Kokoro house!” Misaki’s sister bounced up and down in excitement, bringing a rare, genuine smile to Misaki’s lips.

Truth be told, Misaki was hesitant on bringing her sister to a band rehearsal. She thought that once she had changed into Michelle, that maybe she would get scared and start crying. But if that happened, Misaki would jump out without a moment’s hesitation to comfort her, no matter the consequences.

“Okay, let’s get going.” Misaki got back on her feet and opened her hand on instinct, which her little sister took.

_Knock Knock._

Someone knocked at her door.

“Huh? I wonder who that could be. I wasn’t really expecting anyone today…” Misaki headed for the door with her sister. She quickly slipped on her shoes and helped her sister put on hers before going to open the door.

Before her stood the three ladies in the black suits.

“Oh, you three. I wasn’t expecting you guys.” Misaki said.

“Apologies, Miss Okusawa. But there’s been a slight change of plans.” The leader explained.

“Change of plans? What do you mean?”

“You’ll see. For now, Miss Tsurumaki has instructed us to bring you and your sister with us to the mansion. Please, follow us.”

“I hadn’t heard anything about this, but alright. Probably just Kokoro being Kokoro.” Misaki shook her head and sighed.

“Cool ladies!” Her sister shouted, pointing at the three suits.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool, right? They help me out a lot, so make sure you’re respectful to them, okay?” Misaki told her sister.

“Okayy!”

One of the suits with short hair coughed slightly and looked away.

“W-well, if you could come with us then. This way.” The leader gestured the two outside. Misaki stepped out, closing and locking the door behind her. Then, the suit with the ponytail tailed behind them, while the other two walked in front. Misaki had noticed immediately that something was up.

“U-Um...you guys are...driving us to Kokoro’s house, right?” Misaki inquired.

“Yes, that is correct.” The leader confirmed in a stern voice.

“Oh, uh...alright, then.”

 _“Crap, my gut is telling me that something’s definitely going to happen. But what? I didn’t do anything wrong, right? Right_?” Misaki began to silently panic internally. She couldn’t show that she was nervous since her sister was with her, and she’d probably get scared if she saw her scared too. _“Whatever. I mean, these guys have helped me a lot already. I don’t see any reason for them to do something weird. I guess I’ll trust them, for now.”_ Misaki took a deep breath and exhaled. She looked down at her sister, who had been happily marching along with her. Seeing her seemed to give Misaki the boost of courage she’d been looking for.

 

* * *

 

“Big house!!!” Misaki’s sister awed, pressing her face against the car window.

“You can say that again.” Misaki laughed. She’s always wondered just what exactly is it that Kokoro’s parents do for a living, but had decided that some questions are better off unanswered.

The suits drove the car beyond the mansion gates and parked in front of the fountain. Then, the two at the passenger and driver seat got out and opened the doors for the sisters.

“Er...thanks.” Misaki bowed on instinct, feeling awkward at being treated like some big shot, when really she’s just some normal high school student.

Misaki’s sister, who had exited opposite of her, immediately ran around the back of the car and grabbed onto her hand.

“Sis, I want to see inside the big house!” Misaki’s sister shouted, pointing at the towering mansion.

“We shall now escort you inside. Miss Tsurumaki and the others are waiting.” The suit’s leader said.

“Yay!!” Misaki’s sister pulled on Misaki’s hand and darted for the doors.

“W-woah, hey! Slow down!” Misaki called out, getting pulled along by her little sister’s boundless energy.

\---

While Misaki’s sister ooh’d and awe’d at every little shiny thing inside the Tsurumaki mansion, Misaki was more concerned as to where exactly the suits were taking them. Misaki had only been to a couple rooms in Kokoro’s house to discuss things among the band, but she’d never even step foot in the hallways where the suits where taking them now.

“Hey, are you guys sure we’re going the right way? The room we usually do things is on that other side.” Misaki pointed out.

“As mentioned before, there’s been a slight change of plans. You’ll see soon enough, Miss Okusawa.” One of the suits replied.

“You keep saying that, but you do realize that’s not making me feel any better, right?” Misaki muttered under her breath.

After what felt like a long while of passing through corridor through corridor, they arrived at red grand double doors at the end of a hallway.

“We’re here.” They stated ominously.

“H-Here!? And, uh, where exactly is ‘here’!?” Misaki yelped.

“You’ll see.” They said again, for what seemed like the umpteenth time today.

Misaki shook her head and began to back away.

“No no no no. No way. That’s wayyy to suspicious. I’m going home now, so-”

Misaki bumped into the ponytail suit who had remained behind her. She gently pressed a hand against her back, ushering her forward.

“Pardon me, Miss Okusawa, but we cannot let you home just yet.” She apologised, continuing to nudge her forward. The other two suits at the front opened the doors that groaned along its hinges, revealing the inside of the room which was inexplicably dark. Misaki tried to dig her heels into the sleek tiled floor to no effect.

“W-wait, please! I’m too young to die! At least save my sister!!” Misaki pleaded just as she crossed the door’s threshold. Her sister had been oddly calm about all of this as she went along. The suits followed in after her and closed the door, sealing all source of light away.

 

 _“This is it. This is where I die.”_ Misaki silently panicked. _“They’re gonna fuse my body and Michelle together, and I’ll become a real bear. Goodbye, cruel world.”_

Just as she uttered these silent words in her head, an incredibly loud cracking sound fired off, and the lights flashed on.

**“SURPRISE!!!!”**

Misaki swore that if she had been a little more faint of heart, that she’d have passed out right then and there.

“What the-!?”

Confetti from literal party cannons seemed to rain down from the high rise ceiling as countless balloons flew up. And in the room before her was...everyone. From all from the other bands, Afterglow, Poppin’ Party, Roselia, and Pastel Palettes, even Marina and the CirCLe staff was there. And at the very front, her fellow band members, Hagumi, Kaoru, and Kokoro. Misaki noticed immediately that someone had been missing.

Misaki’s sister let go of her hand and hopped towards Kokoro and the others, where they knelt down a bit to reach her level. She turned around and spread her arms out wide.

“Bis sis!!! Happy Birthday!!!”

“Misaki!!! Happy Birthday!!!” Everyone cheered after, clapping their hands and blowing party whistles. All of them wore party hats, too, even the more serious members like Sayo and Yukina.

Misaki couldn’t believe it. Believe anything. She’d sooner believe that this was all some fever induced dream than believe this was happening in real life.

“What...What the heck, guys.” Misaki lowered her head, hiding her face behind her cap. For some reason, her eyes were starting to get hot and blurry. She quickly wiped at them with her sleeve before looking back up. “So this was why everyone was acting weird around me the past week. You even got my sister in on this! How is that even possible?”

Kokoro picked up Misaki’s sister by her underarms and held her against her hip.

“Easy! We just told her and said that she couldn’t tell you no matter what!” Kokoro simply explained.

“And so you got my four year old sister to keep a secret from me for days.”

“Yup!” Hagumi confirmed.

Misaki looked at her sister accusingly.

“Secret is a secret!” She laughed with a smile that Misaki couldn’t get mad at.

“To keep secrets from one’s own family at such a young age...how fleeting.” Kaoru said, waving an arm in the air.

Misaki, accepting defeat, sighed and shook her head. But she couldn’t wipe away the smile that seemed to force its way onto her face.

So instead, she accepted it.

Misaki smiled, wide and genuine, for the first time in what seemed to be a very, very long time.

“Thanks, everyone. Really.”

“M-Mii-kun…!” Hagumi awed. Kaoru chuckled to herself, and Kokoro, satisfied, swiped the microphone from the table behind her.

“Alright, everyone!” Kokoro’s voice boomed throughout the spacious party room. “Now that the birthday girl Misaki is here, Let’s!! Party!!”

_“Yeah!!!”_

The music started, and everyone began to mingle.

Kokoro put Misaki’s sister back down, where a lot of other girls came to talk to her. She seemed to be pretty popular.

“Ah, so young, but so much potential.” Kaoru smiled to herself upon noticing the crowd gathering.

“Mii-kun, put this on!” Hagumi bounced over to Misaki and placed a party hat on top of her cap.

“Oh, thanks, Hagumi, but I don’t think it really goes with my--....you know what, nevermind.” Misaki shook her head, deciding to just go with the flow for today. “Hey, by the way, where’s Kanon? I didn’t notice she was around, so…” Misaki mentioned, trying to not sound too disappointed.

“Ah, Kanon, you see,” Kaoru stepped in. “She will be arriving shortly. For now, take a look at this present box,” She gestured towards the large box with a bow on top.

“You should open it to see what’s inside!” Kokoro chimed. Misaki looked behind Kokoro, spotting her sister had been picked up by Tomoe with a few other girls gathered around.  
It seemed that Ako had given her her drumsticks, and now her sister playfully tapped against Ako’s head with them. Ako dramatically pretended to be an evil demon, unable to stand up against the power of the holy drumsticks as she rattled off some manga-esque dialogue while Rinko helped her fill in words she couldn’t quite find.

Her sister seemed comfortable and happy enough, and the short haired suit hovering nearby had given Misaki at thumbs up, indicating she was keeping a close eye on her.

Reassured, Misaki complied. “Alright, I’ll open it. But it better not be something worth more than all of my possessions combined.”

“Fear not, for this gift cannot simply have a price put on it. As the great bard once said, All that glitters is not gold.”

“I have a feeling that that quote hardly applies in this case, but I’m just going to go ahead and ignore that.” Misaki said as she quickly approached the large present box. She leaned down to grab onto the lid, before being stopped by Hagumi.

“W-wait, Mii-kun, don’t you wanna guess what’s inside before you-!”

Too late.

The “present” had jumped out, completely off cue, knocking her head under Misaki’s chin. Misaki fell to the floor from the unexpected force, while Kanon knelt back down into the box, Fue-ing with her hands on her head.  
“Misaki!” Kokoro, Hagumi, and Kaoru cried. Kanon gasped, realizing that she just _headbutted Misaki_ , and clamored out of the present box.

“M-Misaki-chan! Are you alright!?” She knelt down beside Misaki, her body sprawled out across the floor. Kanon turned her and leaned over, shaking her a bit. Misaki slowly opened her eyes, seeing Kanon looking down on her.

“Ah…” She groaned as the corners of her lips slowly turned up. “An angel. I must have died and gone to heaven, then.”

Kanon sighed, relieved that Misaki was okay enough to joke around. Or maybe she got a concussion and really thinks she died? Either way, she was still alive.

“No!!! Mii-kun, you can’t die yet!! You haven’t even cut the birthday cake yet!” Hagumi exclaimed, shaking Misaki a bit more aggressively.

“H-Hagumi….please…”

“Hagumi, if you continue shaking poor Misaki like that, she really will die.” Kaoru jested.

“O-oh! My bad.”

Hagumi stopped shaking Misaki and helped Kanon bring her up to her feet.

“Misaki-chan, are you sure you’re alright?” Kanon asked.

“Yeah, I’ll live.” Misaki assured. “But what in the world were you doing inside the box, Kanon-san?”

“Oh! Um, well, actually I was-”

“Because Kanon’s the gift that keeps on giving!” Kokoro explained, albeit a bit unhelpful as an answer. Not that Misaki thought she was wrong or disagreed by any means, but she still had no clue what they were trying to plan with this.

“You see,” Kaoru began. “Because it’s a surprise birthday party, I thought it would be a marvelous idea to also have a surprise birthday present. So I suggested that Kanon be...the present.” Kaoru gave a knowing wink, causing a flush bloom across Misaki’s cheeks.

“I can’t believe you agreed to this, Kanon-san.” She remarked.

“It was a spur of the moment thing, I guess?” Kanon laughed. “Though in the end, it didn’t turn out as we were expecting…”

“D-Don’t feel down about it, Kanon-san! I really appreciate the thought, and that’s what counts in the end, right?” Misaki said, unable to bear the sight of Kanon looking down.

“Y-Yeah! Thanks, Misaki-chan…”

“What are you thanking me for? I should be the one thanking you guys.”

“No thanks needed, Misaki! Just have fun!” Kokoro chipped.

“She’s right. Shall we join in on the festivities as well?” Kaoru suggested, gesturing to the inner area where the karaoke system was located. Aya and Hina were already belting out a couple songs, while Maya seemed to fawn over the expensive sound system.

Misaki panicked a bit, terrified of the idea of her doing anything on a stage without having the Michelle costume on. “Er, I’m good, I don’t think that’s really a goo--woah!”

“Let’s go, Mii-kun! You can choose the song first!” Hagumi pulled Misaki along towards the karaoke anyway.

“H-hold on, Hagumi!” Misaki yelped. She looked towards Kanon, who was following along besides them, as a cry for help.

“I’m...going to try and sing a bit too, Misaki-chan, so let’s do it together!” Kanon said, making a determined fist.

“Oh, man. I guess I really don’t have much of a choice in this, do I?” Misaki sighed.

 

* * *

 

Aya and Hina had just finished up a song when they managed to cross the room.

“Oh hey, it’s the birthday girl! Gonna give the karaoke machine a whirl?” Hina asked, spotting the rambunctious group scrambling up to them.

“I wasn’t really planning on it, but I guess we’re here already.” Misaki gave a nervous laugh.

“Totally boppin’! Aya-chan, we can go try out the table tennis next! Maya, you come with us too!” Hina jumped off the stage as she shouted at Maya over the music, catching her attention.

“Huh? Wait, what are we doing?” Maya asked, snapping out of her mesmerized state.

“We’re gonna have a team showdown to see who’s the best!” Hina explained quickly. “Wait, where’s Eve?”

“Oh, I think she went to go look at the Tsurumaki’s samurai sword collection or something. I can go get her! You two better prepare yourselves, because we won’t go easy on ya! Fuhehe!”

“W-Wait, Hina, we’re going against Maya and Eve? There’s no way we’re gonna win!!” Aya whined, chasing after the other girl.

“Those girls sure are in a league of their own…” Misaki mused to herself.

Hello Happy took over the karaoke machine, Kokoro handing the remote over to Misaki for her to choose a song.

“It’s all yours, Misaki! You and Kanon are going to go first!”

“W-wait, me? I thought Hagumi-chan was going to go...fuee…”

“It’s alright, Kanon-san, we’re in this together now. I’ll pick something simple the first round, okay?” Misaki assured. She sifted through the songs and found ‘Orchestra of Smiles’. “We’ve sung this plenty of times before, so it should be alright…”

Misaki and Kanon anxiously picked up the microphones as the intro of the song began. They both shared a look with each other, Kanon making the same fist as earlier to share her courage with Misaki.

When the song vocals started, the two were hardly even singing into the mics. After some encouragement from the others, Misaki and Kanon gradually gained more confidence, and as soon as the chorus hit, they both were singing with nothing held back. They’d even got others to sing along, spurred along by Kokoro and Hagumi’s high energy dancing in the background. Once the song was over, Misaki and Kanon passed the mics over to Kokoro and Hagumi.

“That was...a lot more fun than I was expecting.” Misaki noted. Kanon agreed.

They continued rotating, with some members of other bands joining in too. Somewhere along the way, Misaki had even done a round with Sayo, probably one of the last people she thought she’d be singing with. But they were here to have fun, not compete, and they sang their hearts out to some anime opening song.

“Big sis is singing!!” Misaki’s sister pointed at her, jumping up and down.

“My big sis is singing too!” Hina told her, picking her up. They looked at each other, somehow communicating wordlessly and shouted up towards the stage at the same time.

_“Onee-chan!!! I love you!!!”_

Misaki and Sayo stopped singing upon hearing their sisters, searching through the crowd for them. Once their eyes met, Hina and Misaki’s sister waved at them hyperly. Misaki and Sayo looked at each other, realizing their sisters were together, and burst into laughter at the surrealness of the situation.

Afterwards, Kokoro and Kaoru took the stage, singing their Romeo duet. Himari and Rimi were right at the front, squealing in delight every time Kaoru looked their way and even winked a few times. Misaki was surprised that neither of them fainted, though it was pretty close. Despite Kaoru’s flirting with her #1 fangirls, Misaki noticed Kaoru’s slight glances in Chisato’s direction, who was clearly trying to avoid eye contact as she spoke with Tae near the refreshments.

“This party sure is next level, huh, Okusawa-san?” Arisa had approached Misaki, who’d had her fill of singing for the night. Kanon had left to go get them some fruit punch, so she was sitting by herself.

“Tell me about it.” Misaki sighed.

“It kind of reminds me of the Sakura party we had a while ago. It wasn’t even that long ago actually, but it feels like ages when I think about it.” Arisa reminisced.

“Oh, man, that.” Misaki shook her head, laughing. “Don’t remind me. But at least we found each other because of that. Just two straight men in a comedy act, trying to manage their idiots from getting into any trouble.”

“You can say that again.” Arisa agreed, her eyes wandering in search of said idiots. She found one of them, but couldn’t find the other, main culprit of her woes. “Uh oh,” She uttered.

“What?”

“Kasumi. I can’t find her.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“God, you look away for 2 seconds and they’re off backflipping somewhere illegal or something.”

“Again. Tell me about it.”

Kokoro and Kaoru’s duet ended, and Yukina and Ran were next to approach the stage.

“Oh, crap. That’s bad news too.” Arisa said.

“Huh? What is--oh.” Misaki looked back up on the stage to see invisible sparks flying in the air between the two vocalists.

“I think we better get the hell outta dodge before the stage burns down or something, Okusawa-san. I gotta find Kasumi too, or else something’s bound to happen.” Arisa suggested, already raring to go.

“I’m right with you. See you ‘round, Ichigaya.”

“Yeah, see ya.” Arisa waved, and headed towards Tae’s direction. “Hey, O-tae! Have you seen…”

Misaki got to her feet, looking for the nearest exit. She headed for a balcony she remembered seeing on her way here, deciding that some fresh air would do her good, too. Misaki wasn’t used to being around so many people at the same time for so long.

Kanon was just heading back to where she was last sitting, before spotting Misaki heading outside.

“Misaki-chan…?”

She followed after her, drinks in hand.

……

 

* * *

 

“There you guys are! We’ve been looking all over for you two!” Kokoro shouted, spotting Misaki and Kanon.

“Yeah! It’s time for Mii-kun to cut the cake!” Hagumi added, who was holding Misaki’s sister.

“Cake!!”

“Where were you two anyway? And why are your faces all red?”

Kanon began stuttering, whereas Misaki tried to give an excuse before Kaoru came in.

“Hagumi, perhaps some questions are without answers.”

“...What does that mean, Kaoru-kun?”

“It means...something like that.”

“Oh...I don’t really get it, but okay! Kano-chan-senpai, let’s go set up the candles!” Hagumi brushed aside the topic and grabbed Kanon’s hand, pulling her towards the extravagant birthday cake with Kokoro.

“W-Wait, Hagumi-chan! Fueee-”

Misaki exhaled, grateful to Kaoru for saving her in some roundabout way.

“Thanks, Kaoru-san.”

“Speak nothing of it, little kitten. The look in your eyes said all they needed for me to know.” Kaoru chuckled, waving an arm in the air with a knowing wink. Misaki lightly slapped Kaoru on the back for teasing her and left to chase after the others, hiding her flushed face under her cap.

“Ah...the fleetingness of youth!”

\---

“Alright, everyone!! Listen up!” Kokoro shouted into the mic, causing some feedback that definitely had gotten everyone’s attention if her booming voice hadn’t. “Gather around now! he candles on the cake have been lit, so let’s sing happy birthday to the birthday girl!! Is everyone ready!?”

_“Yeah!!”_

“Great!! Now, ready?? On three. One, two…!”

As everyone sang Happy Birthday, Misaki fidgeted in place in front of the cake, not really sure where to look or what to do with her hands. She settled for hiding her hands in her pockets as she looked at her other band members, smiling gently.

Kokoro, who was happily guiding along the crowd in the song.

Kaoru, who gave her a signature wink.

Hagumi, who showed off a peace sign together with her sister.

And Kanon, who inched closer to her and silently took her hand, squeezing it softly. Misaki squeezed back.

Finally, for what seemed like longer than it should have, the song was over and the room cheered.

“Alright, Misaki! It’s time for you to make a wish!” Kokoro prompted.

“Oh, right. Um…”

Misaki peered into the flickering candles. As the wax dripped down, Misaki closed her eyes.

She envisioned her band members--her friends--and their warm smiles that brought her happiness. The laughter they brought to their audience together with each performance. And her sister, who never failed to bring a smile to her face with every day.

_May every year be filled with the happiness that I’ve finally found for myself this year._

Uttering this silent prayer in her mind, Misaki opened her eyes and blew out the candles with one breath.

As the room filled with the cheers and applause of everyone, Kokoro, Hagumi, Kaoru, and Kanon all went in to hug Misaki in a tight embrace.

Though it felt stuffy and cramped between all of them, Misaki didn’t really mind it at that moment.

Not one bit.

 

 


	2. The Truth Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scene where Misaki and Kanon talk with each other in private.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Here I am with this long overdue next chapter of Misaki's bday fic orz.
> 
> I meant to finish this to have it posted wayyy before, but I'd actually gotten a little sick the day after I posted the first chapter and then got busy with school projects rip
> 
> anyway I hope yall like this chapter I love Misakanon huhu stan soft gays

Listening to the muffled clamor and music from the balcony, Misaki looked up into the sky. The sun had begun setting over the horizon, dying the sky with gold and fiery hues. The time seemed to have passed a lot faster than she thought it had. The saying really was true, she figured, that time flies when you’re having fun. As she sighed, a soft but unexpected voice came from behind her.

 

“Hey.”

 

Misaki turned to see Kanon, holding two cups of bright red liquid inside.

 

“Hey.” Misaki repeated back. They shared a little smile with each other as Kanon passed a cup to Misaki. She thanked her, taking a small sip from it before setting it down on the stone railing she had been leaning on.

 

“Is everything alright?” Kanon asked with knitted brows. She took a spot next to Misaki and put a hand on her back. “You seem a bit down.”

 

“N-No, I’m okay! I just needed some fresh air is all.” Misaki lied. Though it had been partly true, it wasn’t exactly the whole truth.

 

“Oh, I see...I understand though. Being around so many people...it really takes a lot out of you.” Kanon laughed.

 

“Y-Yeah…”

 

Silence fell between the two, only being filled by the party ruckus from the next room. They both awkwardly drank from their cups, simply existing in each other’s presence in those few moments.

 

Kanon knew that something was on Misaki’s mind. She could tell just by the way Misaki peered into her drink, eyes foggy with thought. She hoped that if she wanted, that Misaki would come to be able to tell her her thoughts on her own. So Kanon simply stayed by her side, waiting.

 

Until Misaki had taken a final gulp of her drink, did she break the silence between them.

 

“You know, Kanon-san…”

 

“Hm?”

 

Misaki fiddled with the plastic cup in her hand, trying to find her words.

 

“S-Sorry, I’m trying to figure out a way to say this without being...er, weird.” Misaki laughed at herself, rubbing a hand on her neck.

 

“It’s okay, Misaki-chan. Take your time.” Kanon assured, offering a sweet smile of encouragement.

 

“...Thanks.”

 

Misaki, feeling the courage that Kanon somehow always seemed to give to others, took a deep breath. Finally forming her thoughts into some form of cohesive sentences, she opened her mouth to speak.

 

“The truth is,” She began, looking up to the fluffy clouds up in the sky. “I did a lot of thinking just now, and I came to realize something.” Misaki paused, trying to form the next sentence. “This is...strange to admit, but I’d always found myself to be a bit lonely. Not that I have trouble being around people or anything, but I’ve never been able to find myself really...connecting with others, you know?” She gave a weak laugh before continuing. “But, after being together with Hello Happy for all this time, it’s as if my world’s gotten a little less lonelier. As much as I complain about those three, I’ve really come to appreciate how much they mean to me. Which is weird, because I’d never thought I’d be saying such a thing when I first joined our band. Oh, but don’t tell them I said that.” Misaki added.

 

“Haha, your secret’s safe with me, Misaki-chan.” Kanon giggled.

 

“And of course, I have you to thank, too.” Misaki turned to look at Kanon. The sun was now setting behind her, outlining her in some ephemeral light.

 

“M-Me?” She stammered.

 

“Y-Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this before, but the entire reason I stuck with Hello Happy was because of you. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have found this. This happiness.” Misaki put a hand over her chest. “Now, I feel like I can finally say something that I’d never thought I’d be able to say.” She looked away, a slight smile dancing on her lips as a light breeze brushed against their cheeks.

 

“And that is…?” Kanon prompted. Misaki looked back, her icy blue eyes filled with a warmth that Kanon hasn’t ever seen before.

 

“That...I’m not lonely anymore.” The corners of Misaki’s eyes crinkled together as her lips turned up. Kanon felt her breath catch, watching the girl before her glow in the sunset. Feeling some sort of knot tying itself within her chest, Kanon leaped forward, pulling Misaki into her embrace.

 

“Misaki-chan…!” She cried. Misaki was thrown off at first at the sudden embrace, but she returned it fully, wrapping her arms around Kanon’s body. Kanon hesitantly pulled away, holding onto Misaki’s hands to speak. “Misaki-chan, you’re not alone. As long as Hello Happy and I are here, you won’t be alone anymore, okay? And I’ll always be here for you to talk if you need it.”

 

“Mm. Thank you, Kanon.” Misaki nodded. “For some reason, I always find myself being able to talk to you about things.” She laughed.

 

“I-I’m glad! Don’t hesitate to come to me for anything else, alright? After all, I’m your ‘present’ for today!” Kanon giggled, squeezing at Misaki’s hands.

 

“Oh, right. I completely forgot about that whole ordeal.” Misaki quipped, somehow having already gotten herself being headbutted not too long ago.

 

Then, an idea popped into her head. She wasn’t really sure if it was a good or a bad one, but she might as well go for it. “Um, but now that you bring it up…” Misaki broke their hold as her eyes wandered away, her hand finding the back of her neck to rub at.

 

“Hm? What is it?” Kanon tilted her head a bit to the side, something that Misaki didn’t think she would ever stop finding adorable.

 

“I-If it’s alright, I wanted to ask you...for one more thing.” She stammered.

 

“Oh, sure! Feel free to ask me anything.” Kanon gleefully obliged, completely oblivious as to what exactly was going to come next.

 

“Then...um, could you...close your eyes for a little bit?” Misaki requested.

 

“My eyes? S-Sure.” Kanon started to feel a bit nervous, but she did as she was asked, closing her eyelids.

 

“...Don’t peek, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Misaki took a small step, carefully making sure that Kanon kept her eyes closed. After another shift forward, Kanon couldn’t help but open one of her eyes a little bit out of curiosity.

 

“I-I said not to peek!” Misaki flustered.

 

“S-Sorry!” Kanon shut her eyes tightly again. Misaki sighed and put a hand over Kanon’s eyes this time. Kanon raised her hands and pressed them against Misaki’s to show that she really wasn’t going to peek.

 

Shrouded in complete darkness, Kanon’s heart began to race. She still wasn’t sure why Misaki would ask her to close her eyes, and it’d been already a couple seconds since she heard Misaki do anyth…

 

_ Oh. _

 

A warm sensation pressed against her lips. Kanon’s breath hitched as she stood there, frozen and not entirely sure what to do. Before she could properly react, the sensation left, leaving a lingering taste of the overly sweet fruit punch that they had drank just a few moments before.

 

Misaki slowly pulled her hand away, allowing Kanon to regain her sight. She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the light, trying to clearly see Misaki’s face. But she was hiding under the bill of her cap, shying away from looking at Kanon in the eye.

 

“M-Misaki-chan….um…” Kanon stuttered. She tried to say something. Anything. But her heartbeat was drumming so loud in her chest that it seemed to drown out her thoughts.

 

“S-sorry...I wanted to be just a little selfish for today, so…” Misaki looked back up, but still not quite meeting with Kanon’s eyes as she scratched at her deeply tinted cheeks.

 

Hearing this, Kanon couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Then, she burst into a small fit of laughter, throwing Misaki completely off.

 

“H-Huh? K-Kanon-san, why are you…?” She flailed. Kanon had to calm herself down a bit to speak.

 

“I’m sorry, Misaki-chan, I just thought that it was so like you to say that, I couldn’t help but laugh.” Kanon wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye.

 

“I mean, I, er, wasn’t sure if it was something you would...y’know, so-” Misaki tried to weakly explain, but Kanon took her hand in hers and simply smiled.

 

“It’s okay. I liked it.”

 

“R-Really!?” Misaki accidentally exclaimed, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. “I-I mean, uh, did you?” She quickly calmed her sense down, but her head still buzzed with glee.

 

Kanon nodded with a hum of confirmation. “Yeah. I did.” Misaki rubbed at the back of her neck, not having expected to even get this far.

 

“Then, um....do you...want to do it again?”

 

Kanon nodded again, her cheeks flushing to be the same color as Misaki’s.

 

“O-Okay...then, uh…h-here I go.”

 

Misaki leaned forward, aiming the close the distance between their lips again. This time, Kanon knew it was coming, yet her heart still pounded at her chest in anticipation. 

 

But the sound of someone’s throat clearing at the door caused them to jump apart.

 

“Pardon the intrusion, but Miss Tsurumaki is currently calling for the both of you.”

 

Kanon and Misaki turned to look at the speaker, who was the suit with her hair worn in a ponytail.

 

“O-Oh, we’ll be right there, then.” Misaki responded. “Kanon-san, we’d better get back soon.”

 

“Y-Yeah.”

 

They silently walked towards the suit, still fazed at the thought that someone may have been there for a while and not even noticed. 

 

“Um, before we head back, how long exactly have you been standing there?” Misaki dared to ask.

 

“Long enough.” The suit promptly replied with a faint smile that faded just as soon as it had appeared. 

 

“I swear, you guys really are ninjas or something.” Misaki groaned, putting a hand on her head before heading back together with Kanon, hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading guys! You can find me at @AkihaFuji on twitter and yell at me about Bandori Imaoo I love these dorks especially Hello Happy:) Leave a kudos if you liked this and comment about what parts you liked! Every comment is appreciated! Thanks again!


End file.
